Northland Jaunt

FINALLY! I met the "Lord of the Forest" called Tane Mahuta... the big old tree...
Bayly's Beach... Holey Moley!

It's an official motorway- you can drive on the beach (if you've got 4-wheel drive!!)


Roadtrippin' up in the northland of NZ...

South Island/Stewart Island Getaway

First night in Bluff, NZ- where there is this famous signpost...
It really is a beauty of a town on the southern tip of the South Island...

Deep South Ice Cream... a different Deep South than what I am familiar with back home..

Then it was on to Stewart Island, a land of only 400 people, home of the Southernmpst cup of cappuccino, and the only drinking water available is their own rainwater. Pretty magic.

Oh yeah, and home of Fern Gully!
And supposedly Kiwis, but I didn't see one!
And decadent deserts on the South Sea!
On the shore of Oban, Stewart Island...
Then, back to the South Island for a day, so I hopped in a rental car and visited the Catlins!
Petrified Forest, breeding grounds of the yellow eyed pengiuins! I actually saw a penguin there, but didn't capture it on film! Oh well...

Here's me at the official "Southernmost tip of the South Island, NZ" pretty stunning...
Here is the stretch of walk through farmland to get there:
New Zealand is dope. Lots of things there are just free and accessible to anyone who wants to go. Its a pretty fantastic way of life.

I went to: Bluff, Invercargill, Stewart Island and the Catlins...

Coromandel Coast

Here are some beauties from my recent drive along the Coromandel coast, when my dad came to visit...





The luckiest sheep in the world... he has no idea...

I love this country.

Fashion Week Pics... Revealed!!!

Finally got around to posting my fashion week backstage dressing experience!!! ;)
It was the NZ designer selection show, which means not one designer collection, but a sampler of all the big NZ names...Sooooo many gorgeous garments in one space!

Below is my model, Felix's clothes...


This is Levi's undies... haha had to... ;0

Hadley: Not Just A Label

My friends are awesome. Have I mentioned this before? Because they totally are, and I do not talk about them enough. I'll try to do that more. These are some looks from Hadley Johnson's Not Just a Label line from earlier this year. Like Woah.





Above: Hadley: NOT JUST A LABEL

I want these...

They remind me of Peggy...

Shallow and Deep pt.2

Fresh Ink

Slowly but surely I am getting my sea-leg. (Its just singular for the time being... not sure if/when it will ever be sealegs). My Kansas City tattoo artist, Scott Schickmann totally set me up by turning my modest request for a simple goldfish into a sprawling art work begging for additions... so here I go adding on. The design is something I have been working on in my head for a couple of years. I have been wanting a classic pin-up girl, but then realized that even better for me is a mermaid, in part because of my undying love for the water... Tattoos almost always mark a time in my life, or are pieces of the story of my life- and this one is my major statement about my time in New Zealand. It was drawn up and inked on by my friend Ashley Howell, who was my neighbor when I lived in Ponsonby... what can I say it was meant to be that we met, and that he happens to be an incredible artist specializing in sailor style Americana tattoos...my favorite. (And funnily enough he is also an American and is married to the lovely Ashley Howell (not himself :) Its Ashley and Ashley the couple, and they are awesome!!!)
I find it hard to fully explain all of the meaning involved with tattoos, in part because they speak for themselves mostly, but I will say that this one symbolizes a season of discovery, self-reflection, beauty and spiritual anchoring. I love it, and am already trying to figure out what to add next...

New Drawings///Whale/Ocean on Fire

(above: Whale Tail Whale's Tale)


(above: Ocean is on Fire. They set it on fire)

Something about Chloe

Chloe Sevigny is probably my most favorite fashion icon. I credit my great friend Karin for getting me hooked on Chloe... I had seen her around in the fashion mags before, but it was about the time I met Karin, that I really noticed how effortless and bold she is with her style... and its consistent. This recent look has followed me around, I thought about it while I was shopping the other day- the girl pulls off this casual style tying together mom jeans, 90s clogs, suspenders and a graphic tee for an easy weekend look. I love her style and I love that her risks seem to always pay off and don't really even feel risky. But not too many women can do what she does, and I am pretty sure it is because it is authentic-ly Chloe's style, a palette developed and evolved sophisticatedly over time to the point where her style is an art. This makes me happy...

Louise Bourgeois

Today, at the ripe age of 98 one of my favorite most influential artists, Louise Bourgeois died. She was 98, so its all good. But she was an amazing prolific artist, who did not shy away from sex and humanity- which I was always really affected by. She was the picture of a vibrant artist all the way into her 90s... She reminded me of my grandma- a fully alive, evolving strong, creative woman! Amazing! Below: my first tattoo, a Bourgeois drawing... for my Grandma Genevieve


http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jun/01/louise-bourgeois-dies-new-york-98